Source: Dallas Cowboys Might Rest Injured RB Ezekiel Elliott at Saints, Start Tony Pollard

Locked On Cowboys: Breaking down the Thanksgiving loss to the Raiders

Jeremy Brener | Nov 28, 2021

Since entering the league in 2016, nobody has more rushing yards than Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott. ... with enough wear and tear along the way that a source tells CowboysSI.com that the club could opt to sit him out on Thursday when Dallas plays at New Orleans.

Elliott is a huge part of the Cowboys' winning formula, and his subpar performance helps explain why the team fell to the Las Vegas Raiders 36-33 in overtime on Thanksgiving Day.

Elliott ran the ball nine times for 29 yards, with a one-yard touchdown run at the end of the first half. When Elliott runs for at least 50 yards, the Cowboys are 6-1. When he doesn't, they're 1-3. Thursday marked the third consecutive game in which Elliott ran for fewer than 50 yards.

For most of the season, Elliott has been nursing a knee injury. That likely affected his usage against Las Vegas.

“Yeah, I don’t know,'' he said after the loss. "I feel alright, but (the game plan) probably was (impacted).''

The Cowboys need Elliott healthy for the playoffs, which could lead to fewer touches in December and possibly even some time off - starting in New Orleans. That would of course mean starting Tony Pollard (and no, ESPN, Pollard isn't leaving Dallas any time soon.)

Even with the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Football Team riding their best stretches of the season, FiveThirtyEight projects the Cowboys as an 84% chance to make the playoffs.

But the goal isn't to make the playoffs, it's to reach (and win) the Super Bowl.

In order to do that, they need Zeke to be Zeke.

In this episode of the "Locked On Cowboys" Podcast, hosts Marcus Mosher and Landon McCool breakdown the Week 12 loss to the Raiders.

They discuss the officiating, if it truly affected the outcome and Prescott's performance.

Marcus and Landon deal with all that more on this episode of "Locked On Cowboys." Join us here!

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Published Nov 28, 2021

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.